ENTERTAINMENT BUZZ
OPED: How art, theater and music improve students’ potential
Everywhere we look, public
schools are cutting number of
school days, extra-curricular
activities and subjects
considered ‘non-essential’; the
first to go usually music, theater
and art programs. Many parents
accept these cuts – something
must go and funding for sports
and academic programs
that provide much-needed
scholarship funding are not up
for consideration.
Unfortunately, we have lost
appreciation for a child who can
play piano as well as Beethoven
or can paint like Renoir, but if
a child can throw a football
like any NFL quarterback, it
warrants respect. Many schools
and parents have little hope for
change, especially in poorer
areas where teachers are
cleaning their own classrooms,
school supplies are scarce and
funds for core needs must come
first. The money just isn’t there.
What many parents and
administrators consider is that
art and music programs can
provide much-needed breaks
from lectures; music students
have shown higher math and
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SAT scores, they learn teamwork
and have better recall and
retention. Art provides many
therapeutic benefits and there is
a large body of evidence of art
being a fantastic way to help
struggling students do better
in other classes. Electives help
emotionally challenged kids to
express their emotions through
a more creative outlet than
violence and temper tantrums.
They don’t have to be a concert
pianist or a master painter,
but just enjoying one elective
beyond the core curriculum can
mean huge changes to other
areas.
What skills cannot be measured
quantitatively are even
more important. Children
who have learned a musical
instrument or can create a
beautiful art piece often
develop greater all-around
creativity, better problem-
solving skills, confidence, focus,
perseverance, collaboration
skills, accountability and better
decision-making skills. Kids who
pursue theater also gain better
self-confidence in other areas of
their lives.
Some feel that the loss of
www.thecurrentbuzz.net
arts and music in schools
should stay that way. Often
expensive for poorer students,
or mortifying for students who
have no creative gene, arts are
considered a waste by many;
where students are behind in
other areas, music and art are
thought to be a waste of time
(how many of your friends from
high school are notable artists
or concert pianists today?). That
doesn’t mean we should leave
these subjects to die along with
the five-day school week.
Is there a way forward? Leaving
arts and music programs in
where feasible should happen,
however, students who want no
part of it shouldn’t be forced
to participate any more than
students who don’t want to play
football. As with everything, it’s
finding the funding that’s the
biggest issue in the Sooner State.
We’ve given oil companies
huge tax breaks above and
beyond what we offer every
other industry. Some oil execs
have even said publicly tha